Lidl pay rise for everyone, as supermarket is first on Living Wage

Lidl have become the first British supermarket to pay their workers the living wage. From the start of October, all Lidl employees in the UK will be getting at least £8.20 an hour, unless you live in London, where you'll be getting £9.35 an hour.

So what does this mean at the end of the year? Well, that's an average wage increase of £1,200 per annum, which is not bad at all.

Next April, the Government's new wage rules come into play, with that starting at £7.20, rising to £9 an hour by 2020. Lidl have gone above that, which is great if you work for them, and you're 25 years old, or older.

This will cost Lidl an extra £9m a year, but seeing as they're doing so well in the UK, and growing so rapidly, they're obviously confident they can shoulder all this. They had annual sales of £4bn last year, so they clearly know what they're doing.

Ronny Gottschlich, chief executive of Lidl UK, said: "We recognise that every employee forms an integral part of team Lidl, and each individual’s contribution is valued. It’s therefore only right that we show our commitment, in the same way that the team commit to the business and our customers each and every day, by ensuring a wage that supports the cost of living."

Pressure's on for the rest of the supermarket sector.

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4 comments

Smylers

All Lidl staff, not just those over 25, according to ‘The Guardian' http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/18/lidl-to-pay-9000-staff-the-full-living-wage

I'm sure they can afford to - when you go to a Lidl on the continent, in Germany or Belgium, the produce is much cheaper than the UK price. Most things are no more than 60% of the UK price over there. Last Christmas I spotted a bottle of Gluhwein in a Lidl in Berlin - it was 1.74 Euros, UK price? about £3.50. Overcharged in the UK yet again.
Pleased they're paying their staff more, but I don't think they need to put their prices up to cover it.